


Insomnia

by teddygirl105



Category: The Boyz (Korea Band)
Genre: Insomnia, Insomniac Moon Hyungseo | Kevin, Journalist Bae Joonyoung | Jacob, M/M, idk i just love that song, inspired by stray kids' insomnia i guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-13
Updated: 2018-10-13
Packaged: 2019-08-01 10:25:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16282853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teddygirl105/pseuds/teddygirl105
Summary: Night skies, neon lights, busy streets.Those would be the three things Kevin would use to describe his insomnia-riddled days if asked.Warmth, peace, home.If asked about his boyfriend, then that would be his answer.





	Insomnia

**Author's Note:**

> me loving insomnia by stray kids this sorta appeared and i magically finished something for once
> 
> i'm sorry that i got basically everything about insomnia and journalists wrong i tried my best
> 
> all i have are shitty sleeping schedules

**[kevin]  
** _i can’t sleep.  
_ _sent 3:27 am_

 

* * *

 

Night skies, neon lights, busy streets.

It was just another sleepless night in Seoul, and Kevin was wandering around, mind adrift. The aesthetic feel of everything made him comfortable, which was certainly a perk for being able to go out this late at night. There were the bar hoppers, the ones that just kept on drinking until they almost passed out. The groups of friends that went out for a long karaoke night. Anything that could keep them awake and going.

For Kevin though, his purpose out here was to fall asleep. To get a good night’s rest and feel awake in the morning. It was a bit odd to think of, but with insomnia lingering within his body, it made sense. Kevin didn’t sleep much, and was always tired in the morning and throughout the entire day. He had pills that were prescribed to him by his doctor, but he didn’t like taking them, unless absolutely needed. It just, didn’t feel right.

As of right now, he was drearily walking his way over to a quieter area, through some smaller streets and to a more residential area. With earbuds stuffed into his ears, playing some lo-fi mix he found on Spotify, he tried to focus on the little things. How the bulbs from the streetlights were flickering slightly. The lone lit up window with the silhouette of someone studying. The glare of the moon that shone off his glasses, that were hanging precariously on the edge of his nose. How his hood gave him a little extra warmth from the cool winds of autumn. It helped his mind stay on track and not drift off into blankness.

Just as he was running out of more things to focus on, his phone emitted a quiet notification from KakaoTalk. Going to check it, he saw that the text message he had sent earlier had finally been replied to from the person he had hoped would respond.

 **[jacob]  
** _come over  
_ _sent 3:42 am_

A smile began to grow on Kevin’s lips, replying to the message with an emoticon before stuffing his phone into his back pocket. His pace was now a little bit faster, and there was joy in his steps. Now that he had a set destination, he didn’t have to force his mind to stay focused, and instead could continue with a clear and calm head.

In just a few minutes, he reached a small complex building, only three stories tall. Climbing the stairs, Kevin arrived on the second floor, where he made his way to the very end of the hallway. Taking out his phone, he temporarily paused his music, pulling out his earbuds and shoving them into his jacket pocket. Instead of knocking on the door, he texted Jacob, not wanting to accidentally wake any of the other tenants.

 **[kevin]  
** _i’m here  
_ _sent 3:50 am_

**[jacob]  
** _be right there_ _  
_ _sent 3:50 am_

Kevin could hear the sound of footsteps approaching the door, and with a click, it was opened by the occupant inside.

“Kev, come in.” Jacob spoke, moving to the side to let him walk in. He was just dressed in sweats and a hoodie, and his eyes were tired, glasses perched on his nose as well. As he walked by, Kevin gave a little peck on Jacob’s cheek, to which he smiled widely at. Toeing his shoes off, Kevin placed them neatly to the side, before walking in and lying down on Jacob’s bed.

It was quaint little place, rent was cheap but the place was recently renovated, making it sleek and modern. The places here were small, with only three rooms. The bathroom, kitchen, and main living area, all which snugly accommodated for one person. A bed was much too large for the place, so Jacob opted for just a mattress on the floor instead, on top of a rug he found at Ikea. Most of the furniture in the room was all bought from Ikea, because god damn did Ikea have amazing aesthetics. Kevin would know, he was there to help after all. There were fairy lights around the room, and the furniture was adorned with little decorations that made the whole place comfy and chic. If he looked towards the window, there was a figurine of a swallow, a gift from Jacob’s mother. On the walls, polaroids of the two, as well as a few doodles and drawings that Kevin had given him.

Looking to the table that was against the window, the dimmed screen of Jacob’s laptop shone brightly in the dark, being the main source of light other than the fairy lights. It was open to a document, filled with words, pages of them.

“Another one?” Kevin asked, watching Jacob sit back down at the table and sigh, his fingers going right back to typing. He nodded, adjusting his glasses, other hand still typing.

“I was asked to research and write about an upcoming festival in Japan, right now is just the basic stuff you can find online plus a small outline, but I’ll be sent out next week to take photos and gather more knowledge from the locals. Plus, there’s another one I have to do regarding Shinto shrines.” he explained, making Kevin pout.

“So you’ll be gone? For how long?”

Jacob turned back towards Kevin, a pitying look on his face. “The festival is only around three days long, but they want me to go at least two days earlier to gather info on the pre-festival preparations. With the inclusion of the other one as well, it’ll probably be just over a week, give or take.” he explained. “In-depth feature articles like these ones take awhile, and I have to do well if I want to be promoted.”

Working as a journalist had some of its perks, especially when working with an international firm. You had the opportunities to travel occasionally, and write captivating articles on tourist attractions all over the world. It was good knowledge as well, learning about different cultures and their traditions. Though, because of having to travel and be constantly working, Kevin and Jacob couldn’t spend as much time as they used to back when they were young and finishing university. Not like they weren’t still young, they were only 24 and 25 respectively, but definitely a change.

Kevin sighed. It hadn’t even been a whole week yet, and Jacob was already leaving once again. Though his previous assignment was only down in Busan, Kevin was busy with his own work as well. Lately they weren’t spending as much time together than before, but they kept in touch with calls and texts.

“Y’know…” Jacob started, gently closing his laptop to walk over to Kevin and sit down next to him. “I might be able to snag another plane ticket.” he spoke, watching as his boyfriend shimmied closer to rest his head on Jacob’s lap.

“What do you mean?” Kevin asked. Jacob was quietly running his fingers through Kevin’s hair, playing with the strands and twirling them between the pads of his index and thumb. He just hummed happily, a smile growing on his lips.

“For you, silly.” Kevin just stared at Jacob in disbelief, his eyes narrowed and scrutinizing. “It’ll be just like the last time, you come in as my assistant photographer. They loved your photos last time, so I’m sure they’ll be fine with it.” Jacob explained. Now understanding everything, Kevin’s face lit up with excitement.

“Wait, seriously?” he asked, still in disbelief. “They actually liked those shots?”

“And used them too. Didn’t you look at the article?” Jacob asked, and Kevin shook his head.

“I mean, not really? I only skimmed through because there was a copy sitting on someone’s desk during work. I didn’t pay attention to the photos.” Kevin admitted. Jacob began to talk, explaining about the article whilst ranting on about how well Kevin’s shots were. It went on for another few minutes, until Kevin took over and started his spiel on Jacob and his amazing writing. He could see that his boyfriend was yawning constantly, his eyelids slowly starting to close but his mind still focused.

“Hey.” he whispered, making Jacob look up at him. “You should get to bed, it’s late.” he muttered, but Jacob just shook his head.

“No, continue. I’m fine.” he spoke, stifling another yawn.

“Jacob, you aren’t the insomniac here. You need the sleep. I’m the one who dragged you out of bed in the first place.”

“Well, you need sleep too.” Jacob argued. “I’m not sleeping until you sleep. And besides, you didn’t wake me up for once. I was already up.” With a pout, Jacob gently moved Kevin’s head off his lap, opting to lie down next to him, resting his head on the pillow. Kevin shimmied over, so that they were facing each other, almost nose to nose.

“Jakey, I’m fine.” Kevin whispered, but his boyfriend simply raised his hand, brushing a stray piece of hair off his face.

“I worry about you Kev, y’know?” he whispered back, his eyes now filled with worry and voice threatening to crack. “I’m always away for so long, and I never know if you’re getting enough sleep or not. I know it’s hard for you to do so, but you need to try. I’m scared that you might just pass out on the street one day.”

Jacob’s hand was now gently holding Kevin’s, stroking his knuckles slowly and methodically. It soothed him, and was lulling Kevin into dreamland. “I’ll try.” he spoke, giving a small smile. “I’ll try and get more sleep.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

Returning the smile, Jacob’s eyelids drooped shut, his body unable to fight the fatigue anymore. “Hey.” he whispered, barely staying awake. “It’s 4:20.”

Kevin’s mouth twisted into discontent and disgust, unable to believe that Jacob, of all things, made a 420 joke, but it curled into a smile. He must have been trying to ease the worry, memeing around and doing his best to lighten the mood a little.

Jacob was out like a light in just mere seconds, in a deep sleep. Studying his face, Kevin could see that Jacob’s dark circles were much more prominent than usual. He must have spent a lot of long nights working, biting off more than he could chew at work. He was so desperate for that promotion, wanting his efforts and skills to pay off and be rewarded.

“You can’t overwork yourself, Jacob.” Kevin whispered, carefully sliding Jacob’s glasses off his face and setting them on the shelf above them. “Don’t just worry about me, worry about yourself.”

Grabbing his phone from where it sat on the mattress, Kevin opened to his camera app, turning on his flash to take a picture. Silently praying that the bright light wouldn’t wake Jacob up, he snapped a few photos, the smile on his face growing larger. He knew that he would be yelled at in the morning, but who could resist that angelic face? (Jacob hated people taking pictures of him without warning. Of course, Kevin did exactly that.)

_‘I love him. ♥’_

Happy with his Instagram post, Kevin set his phone on the shelf, before pulling Jacob closer to him, tangling their legs together as his chin rested on the top of his head. Without even knowing, Kevin began to softly sing, in an attempt to lull himself to sleep.

 _“Walkin’ in time, I’m walkin’ in time again_  
_But as much as I try, everything stays the same._  
_Even though it takes time to heal all again_  
_Even though they say memories all remain  
_ _I wish that time would take me to those days, yeah.”_

Kevin continued to hum the rest of the song, just in case he would accidentally wake Jacob up. With the slow rise and fall of his chest, his warmth and the beat of his heart,  Kevin could feel himself slipping away, going into dreamland. He accepted it wholeheartedly, closing his eyelids as he stopped humming, finishing the song in his head. His sleep-deprived mind didn’t even notice that he had accidentally changed the lyrics, but it didn’t matter. Besides, it fit better in his opinion.

  


_“I hope that you’ll stay with me till the end.”_

**Author's Note:**

> fun fact: i had to write those god damn lyrics of walkin' in time in order for kevin to sing it in english properly and i hated every moment of it
> 
> jk it was pretty fun but like i wouldn't do it again out of my own free will
> 
> hmu on [ twitter](https://twitter.com/tbz_sunlight) to cry about the boyz with me  
> [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/tbz_sunlight)


End file.
